Search Results for: curd

This mango curd ice cream is rich and refreshing at the same time, and perfect for taking advantage of peak mango season!

Have you spotted any champagne mangos (also known as ataulfo or honey) in stores recently? They’re my absolute favorite. They’re the smaller, golden-colored mangos, and I find their flavor sweeter and cleaner than their larger, red-skinned counterparts. (I didn’t take a picture of the whole mangos this time, but you can see what they look like in the photos for my stuffed avocados with shrimp and mango.) Their flesh is also less fibrous than other mangos, which makes them an ideal choice for whipping up a smooth curd that will eventually become mango curd ice cream.

Making mango curd is easy, and it’s a wonderful addition to my relatively large collection of fruit curds. I start by pureeing mango chunks to yield the golden nectar you see below (an immersion blender makes cleanup super quick). The mango puree goes into a saucepan with raw sugar, a few egg yolks, a couple spoonfuls of lime juice, a splash of vanilla, and a pinch of salt. Next, I whisk it over medium heat until it’s cooked and thickened a bit. Since the mango puree is so thick to begin with, the change isn’t as dramatic as with other curds, so I like to use a thermometer to keep track. When the temperature is between 150 and 155°F, it’s done. If you don’t have a thermometer, watch for plenty of steam rising from the edges of the pan, but don’t let it actually start to bubble.

Grilled pound cake with lemon curd and berries is the perfect way to finish off any summer BBQs, and since it’s gluten free and grain free, more people can enjoy!

Summer is finally here, almost officially! I’ve already gotten in my first swim and am loving all the summer produce. I am such a summer person that I even enjoy basking in the heat of days that are 90+ degrees and humid–I find it kind of comforting!

Also, it’s BBQ season. To get ready for all the cookouts that are in store this summer, I teamed up with a few of my favorite bloggers to bring you five delicious paleo-friendly recipes that are perfect for summer BBQs. My contribution is this grilled pound cake with lemon curd and berries.

Grilled pound cake is the ideal way to end any grilling sesh. You bake the pound cake and make the lemon curd ahead of time, so all you have to do when the dessert hour rolls around is quickly grill the pound cake, spoon the lemon curd onto plates, and add a handful of fresh berries. I used local blackberries, but if strawberries are still in season near you, those would be fabulous, too! Later in the summer I’m looking forward to enjoying this with blueberries.

This pound cake recipe is super simple and comes together in one bowl with just one kind of flour–Otto’s Cassava Flour. It’s a grain-free, gluten-free, nut-free flour that makes paleo baking super easy. The cake is lightly sweetened with maple syrup and flavored with vanilla extract. It’s the perfect foil for tart and creamy lemon curd and juicy summer berries!Read More…

This dairy free blood orange curd is sweetened with honey and tastes amazing on its own, on ice cream, with chocolate cake, or on top of pancakes.

At the risk of having someone say that there are too many curd recipes on my site, I’m bringing you a dairy-free, honey-sweetened blood orange curd today. The very first recipe I ever posted here on A Calculated Whisk was for a classic lemon curd, and I also have ones for strawberry curd and dairy-free lemon curd. Oh, and there’s a paleo lemon curd in my cookbook, Paleo Planet.

Why more curd? The short answer: because blood oranges (see Exhibit A below–how can anyone resist?). The longer answer is that I wanted to see how simple and wholesome a citrus curd could get by using a base of just freshly-squeezed juices, eggs, and honey. There are two more ingredients–a tiny splash of vanilla extract and a pinch of salt–to help the orange flavor pop a little more, but that’s all you need to make this blood orange curd. It’s simple and it’s real food, but it tastes like the melted creamsicle sauce of your dreams.

If you can’t find blood oranges, you can use regular ones. The color will of course be different, but the curd will still be scrumptious. If you find Cara Cara oranges, those would be a nice compromise–I recently ate one that was darker in color than some of the blood oranges I used to make this curd.

In case you’re not entirely sure what a citrus curd is, I’ll tell you: it’s like a cross between a jam and a custard but it’s better than both, and it’s traditionally served with scones and clotted cream for high tea in England. Lemon curd is the standard, but curd can be made with any kind of citrus, or with citrus and a variety of other fruits. The basic formula is lemon juice, egg, sugar, and butter, but here I’ve omitted the butter and used raw, local honey instead of sugar without making any sacrifices in flavor or texture. This curd does come out a little thinner than other curds I’ve made because of those changes, but that actually makes it perfect for how I prefer to use it: as a sauce to elevate all manner of grain-free desserts and breakfasts from good to just ridiculous.

This dairy-free lemon curd is a lighter version of the classic. It’s still packed with irresistible sweet citrus flavor!

My dad and sister came over for dinner this weekend. It was so much fun–my sister just turned 15, and she had never been to my apartment before! I cooked them a belated birthday/father’s day celebratory dinner. We had thai shrimp curry with vegetables and coconut milk (so good–recipe coming soon), a salad my dad brought with a delicious dressing (I’ll try to score the recipe and post it–it involves hazelnut oil!) and a berry tart with coconut cream and dairy-free lemon curd. My sister can’t eat any dairy, so I had to make lemon curd without the butter. Good news–it’s just as delicious as the original, and even more lemony.

I wanted to share the whole tart recipe with you, but the crust still needs some work. Anyone have a good dairy-free tart crust recipe? I’m going to work on getting one ready for the Fourth, because this tart happens to be very patriotic. For the topping, we just whipped up some coconut cream with powdered sugar and vanilla, then folded it in to the lemon curd.

Anyway, I couldn’t wait to share this delicious lightened-up lemon curd with you. It’s a healthier way to enjoy my favorite spread! Try it on pancakes or a dutch baby, swirl it with some greek yogurt, or pipe it inside some cupcakes.

Wash your lemons really well, and zest two of them. Mix the zest with the sugar in a small bowl, rubbing the mixture between your fingers to bring out the flavors of the zest (use ½ cup of sugar for a very puckery curd, and more if you want things a little sweeter). Set the lemon sugar aside (if you want to make extra lemon sugar, it's also delicious as a topping for muffins or cookies).

Roll the lemons firmly under the palm of your hand to prime them to release the most juice. Juice lemons until you have ¾ cup of lemon juice. Strain out any seeds. Add the juice, lemon sugar, and salt to a saucepan. Warm over medium heat, stirring constantly, until all the sugar is dissolved.

Beat the eggs and egg yolk together in a medium bowl. While whisking constantly, slowly pour the warm lemon mixture into the eggs. Continue to beat for a minute or so.

Return the mixture to the saucepan and cook over low heat, whisking constantly, until the mixture thickens, about 10-15 minutes. Remove from the heat and stir in the vanilla (the vanilla is optional--you won't really taste it, but it rounds out the flavor).

Let the curd cool to room temperature, then transfer to a glass jar or another airtight container. Store in the refrigerator. Lemon curd will keep, refrigerated, for up to two weeks.

Have you made lemon curd yet? Either way, you’re going to love this sweeter, pinker version. I’m thinking you could put this on a dutch baby, pipe it inside some cupcakes, spread it on your toast, or drizzle it on some vanilla ice cream.

It’s easy to make, and tastes like spring in a jar! What are you waiting for?

In case you’re not convinced, here are just a few delicious recipes you’ll be able to make with your strawberry curd:

In a food processor, puree the strawberries and orange zest until very smooth.

Heat water to a simmer in a double boiler or a saucepan. In the top of the double boiler or a heatproof bowl, combine the puree, juices, salt, sugar, and butter. Place the bowl on top of the pan of simmering water, making sure the bottom of the bowl isn’t actually touching the water. Beat the eggs and add them to the bowl. Cook, whisking constantly, until the curd comes together and thickens, about ten minutes. When the curd is done, it will coat the back of a spoon.

(Full disclosure: my strawberry curd was that grayish-pink color that used to be trendy but was never appetizing. I added a few drops of red food coloring and one drop of yellow to perk it up.)

Hi, I’m Becky and this is my new blog. The
first recipe I’m going to share with you is for homemade lemon curd.
While you may not think you need to make this unless you’re planning on
hosting a high tea, I’m going to try to convince you that you actually
need to make it right now. This stuff is ridiculously delicious, plus
easy and fun to make. I made mine to pipe inside the lemon coconut
cupcakes I’m making for Easter dinner, but I’m worried I might have to
make a second batch. I’ve been sneaking spoonfuls at every opportunity,
and my boyfriend and I each had a generous dollop on the Dutch babies I
made for breakfast this morning (recipe for that is here).
If you love lemon like I do, you have to try this! It would be
fabulous on scones. I’ve never made scones, but will have to try it if I
end up with any lemon curd left at all.

This recipe is adapted from Ina’s, in the Barefoot Contessa cookbook and here.
I reduced the sugar, and think mine has the perfect balance of sweet
and tart flavors. She says you can make this with oranges or limes
instead of lemons—let me know if you try it!

Ingredients (makes about two cups):

4 lemons, at room temperature

1 cup sugar

4 extra-large eggs, at room temperature

1/4 pound butter (1 stick) at room temperature

Generous pinch of salt

1. Zest the lemons, avoiding the white
pith underneath the yellow rind (I usually scrape each spot across the
grater twice). Place the zest in a food processor with the sugar, and
process thoroughly to break the zest up into tiny pieces.

2. Juice the lemons (roll them under the palm of your hand first so
they’ll release more juice) until you have 1/2 cup of lemon juice. I
had to use all four lemons to get that much juice.

3. Cream the butter with the lemon sugar (I used my stand mixer
with the paddle attachment). Add the eggs one at a time, and then the
lemon juice and salt. Mix well.

4. Transfer the mixture to a saucepan. At this point, it probably
looks like a big mess. Mine looked like curdled milk. Maybe lemon curd
is named after its gruesome looks at this stage in the process? Don’t
worry though, your lemon curd will smooth right out as soon as it heats
up.

5. Cook the lemon curd over low heat, stirring constantly, until it
thickens (10-15 minutes). I used a thermometer to keep tabs on
things—my lemon curd thickened around 155 degrees, and you don’t want to
let yours get much above 175.

That’s it! You made lemon curd. Now, try not to just eat all of it
with a spoon. I cooled mine and poured it into jars—it will keep for a
couple of weeks in the refrigerator, although I can’t see it ever
lasting that long at my apartment. Tomorrow I’ll be piping mine into
some springtime coconut cupcakes—I’ll let you know how it goes and share
the recipe soon!

This paleo pork scaloppine with caper butter sauce is like chicken piccata, but better. It comes together in half an hour so you can enjoy it on busy weeknights!

Monday has reared its ugly head once again. If you’ve got a case of the blues, I have just the thing for you: paleo pork scaloppine. In a mere half an hour, you’ll get to work out your aggression pounding pork chops thin, hear the satisfying sizzle of the meat hitting the pan, pour an irresistible caper butter sauce over a platter of golden brown cutlets, and then dig in. I know I couldn’t ask for a better form of Monday therapy!

To make the breading for this paleo version of pork scaloppine as close as possible to the real thing, we’re using Otto’s Cassava Flour (that’s an affiliate link–I love their product and accept no substitutes!). It’s the best one-to-one replacement for wheat flour that I’ve found, and while I used to have to order it online, this past weekend I spotted it at the Chattanooga Whole Foods! To celebrate, I whipped up a big batch of this paleo pork scaloppine.

This grain-free lemon cake with whipped cream frosting is made for Easter dinner, spring birthdays, or any other special occasion. It’s super lemony thanks to lemon zest, juice, curd, and extract!

It’s the roughest Monday of the year, but I brought cake to ease the pain! If springing forward has taken some of the pep out of your step, this grain-free lemon cake will put it right back in.

When my future sister-in-law asked for a lemon cake to celebrate her birthday, I was excited. A few months ago for a styled wedding shoot, my friend Lindsey and I made a lemon layer cake with blood orange curd and blood oranges on top. I’d been wanting to try something similar with a lemon curd filling, and this was the perfect opportunity. For this cake, I adapted my lemon olive oil Bundt cake recipe to create two round layers. (Before you can even ask, no, you can’t taste the olive oil! It’s just a super healthy, easy to work with fat for baking that creates a wonderfully tender crumb.)

I used homemade lemon curd for the filling, and then frosted and decorated the cake with stabilized whipped cream. The result is a festive, richly lemon-flavored cake with tart curd and pillowy clouds of cream. It’s so good, and was a huge hit with my entire family, including my three young future nieces. I can’t wait to make it again next month for Easter!

This roundup of grain-free treats for Valentine’s Day has something for everyone, from chocolate lovers to fruit fans to caramel enthusiasts.

Valentine’s Day (or Valentime’s Day, as my students always called it–this makes sense because it happens at a specific time every year!) is right around the corner. Whether or not you’re into the whole idea of a romantic holiday, it never hurts to make a special treat for yourself or someone you love, right?

Here’s a roundup of 22 grain-free treats for Valentine’s Day that anyone would be thrilled to receive. We’ve got chocolate desserts, fruit desserts, a few with both chocolate and fruit, and a bit of caramel–a little something for everyone. I’ve marked the ones that are vegan, dairy free, egg free, and nut free in case you’re looking for those.

This post was hard for me to put together because I’m still in the midst of a Whole30, but Ben graciously agreed that we can push Valentine’s Day back and celebrate when I’m finished. When February 24th rolls around, you can bet we’ll be indulging in at least one of these grain-free desserts!

What are your plans for Valentine’s Day? Are you making a dessert (paleo or otherwise)? I’d love to hear about it in the comments!

Without further ado, here are 22 grain-free, paleo-friendly treats for your Valentine’s Day cooking pleasure!

Grain-free Chocolate Treats for Valentine’s Day

Mocha Ricotta Pie with Strawberries: Possibly my favorite dessert of all time. The intriguing flavor of this pie is reminiscent of a great cannoli and will have everyone coming back for seconds and thirds.

As the year comes to an end, I like to take a look back and see which recipes were the biggest hits with you all throughout the year. Luckily, the ones that make the cut are usually favorites of mine, too! I hope you pin at least a few of these to try during 2017.

15. Maple Balsamic Chicken & Bacon Skewers: These are everything in the summer, but you can make them in the broiler when the weather outside is frightful! I don’t think I’ll ever make kebabs without a bacon weave again.

It’s time to think outside the pie! Here are 20 deliciously unique gluten-free Thanksgiving desserts that are may not be traditional, but are still packed with seasonal ingredients. If you’re tasked with bringing a dessert to Thanksgiving this year, why not surprise everyone with something new they likely haven’t tried before? Especially if others have the old classics covered, these offbeat gluten-free treats will be a refreshing contrast. We’ve got pumpkins, cranberries, apples, pears, and more. Which one appeals to you most?

Pumpkin Creme Brulee Pie Barsmay be my single most-dreamt-of dessert. They’re like pumpkin pie and creme brulee put together with a little chocolate in the crust for good measure.

Pumpkin Caramel Cheesecake Pie: Is your oven kinda busy? No worries, because this stunner requires no baking or cooking. Also, pumpkin and caramel make an unbeatable combination!

Pear Galettes with Pistachio Frangipane: Pears are the unsung heroes of fall baking. They’re almost like custard once cooked, with a texture far superior to that of apples in my opinion. You have to try them in these galettes!

This gluten-free, grain-free, nut-free heirloom tomato galette is the perfect way to celebrate summer’s bounty. With a tangy goat cheese filling and fresh basil on top, it’s irresistible!

A couple of weeks ago I made a tomato galette and shared it on Instagram, and a lot of people asked about the crust. It’s the exact same cassava flour crust used in this gluten-free quiche lorraine with leeks, but the tomato galette was so good that I decided it merited its own post. (I also used the same crust to make a plum and blackberry galette, but I’m still tweaking the frangipane filling. This crust works just as well for sweet galettes as savory ones, though!) This tomato galette has a creamy goat cheese filling and is topped with a rainbow of tiny heirloom tomatoes from Big Sycamore Farm. I’m amazingly into it for someone who never really liked tomatoes that much!

Anyway, Otto’s cassava flour makes the best crust. It’s flaky, buttery, crunchy–everything a classic crust should be. Since cassava flour behaves so much like wheat flour, I was able to take this all butter crust from Simply Recipes and adapt it with only a few changes needed. Adding egg yolk helps the dough hold together, and a tiny bit of extra sugar balances out all the flavors.